John Edwards may have suspended his presidential campaign, but he still has delegates that he earned early on in the Democratic Primary race, with eight of them coming from South Carolina. And one of those delegates is a Summerville resident.

Rob Groce was elected Edwards' 1st Congressional District Delegate at the South Carolina Democratic Party (SCDP) Convention, held in Columbia on Saturday, May 3rd. As an elected delegate, Groce can now represent Edwards at the Democratic National Convention this August in Denver.

"Elected by default" may be a better term to describe his win, says Groce. Of the original three candidates for the Edwards delegate spot, James Sanderson of Georgetown withdrew from the race shortly before the vote. Another candidate, William Tinkler of Charleston, had to be removed from the slate due to convention rules.

No more than half of the national delegates elected from a congressional district may be from any one county, according to the South Carolina Delegate Selection Plan. Because District One is allotted four delegates, and two from Charleston County had already been elected to represent Sen. Barack Obama, this rule would have been violated if Tinkler had been elected. As a result, Groce was awarded the delegate spot with no contest. (MORE)

"While I am very honored to be named a national delegate, I just wish my fellow candidates could have had more opportunity in the election, as well. I know that both (Sanderson and Tinkler) greatly supported John Edwards and his campaign," Groce said.

"Still," Groce continued, "I'm very excited about it. This is a once-in-a- lifetime privilege, and I'm looking forward to the convention."

Groce, who moved to Summerville from New Orleans, La., following Hurricane Katrina, says he supported Edwards in the 2004 election, too. Edwards' contribution to his former hometown following the hurricane cemented Groce's support in the 2008 primary, and made him and his wife Deborah want to do even more for Edwards.

"Everything Edwards was doing for New Orleans, and for the Ninth Ward in particular, made me want to return the gesture. Three generations of my family were raised in that part of town." Edwards announced both the start of his campaign as well as its suspension from New Orleans.

In support for the South Carolina primary, Groce regularly volunteered with the Edwards campaign, and also operated One Corps in Summerville. One Corps was a nationwide effort of Edwards' supporters volunteering in their communities to address the societal inequalities that Edwards referred to as "two Americas."

The Summerville chapter has merged with other local groups to form South Carolina One Corps, which continues to operate today even though Edwards suspended his campaign. Its activities include volunteering at the Lowcountry Food Bank in Charleston, and preparing meals and collecting goods for the Palmetto House homeless shelter in Summerville.

The Democratic National Convention takes place August 25-28 in Denver, Colo.

Rob Groce can be reached at 843.475.5070 or regroce@sc.rr.com .

The included photo was taken by Patrick Labbe.

The South Carolina Delegate Plan can be accessed at: http://scdp.org .

Details about the Democratic National Convention can be obtained from its website: www.demconvention.com .

Information about South Carolina One Corps is available at its website: www.sc-onecorps.org . The web address for the original national One Corps (www.onecorps.com) now reverts to John Edwards' own website (www.johnedwards.com).

More information regarding the Dorchester County Democratic Party can be attained from its website: www.dordems.org . Messages can be left on the site, as well. Its chairman, Steve Yeomans, can be contacted at stevejy@aol.com .